


brother, where art thou?

by Little Keplerette (classycloudcuckoolanderclasso)



Category: Cookie Run (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, also here whipped cream and rockstar are twin brothers!, but people most often use they/them for dc, dark choco is nonbinary, i love the idea that whipped cream is the 'cuter' twin, rockstar is a chaotic bi and whipped cream knows it, tag it as mintrock and i will destroy you, their pronouns are they/them and he/him, this isnt mintrock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 00:51:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14533116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/classycloudcuckoolanderclasso/pseuds/Little%20Keplerette
Summary: Mint Choco and Rockstar, two music rivals and bitter enemies, find common ground discussing siblings long lost.





	brother, where art thou?

**Author's Note:**

> i enjoy the headcanon that the four present chocos in ovenbreak - mint, pink, white, and dark - are all related to each other, and the idea that boisterous rockstar is twin brothers with the graceful whipped cream just wouldn't leave my mind, so here i am.
> 
> this became more of a rockstar and whipped cream focused fic than specifically the two musicians bonding over lost siblings, but whatever.

_Do, re, mi, fa, sol-_

**_TWUNG._ **

"Ah, damn it all." Mint Choco scowled as he sat down on the stage, placing his violin on his lap. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a new violin string, and carefully, carefully, removed the broken one from his violin, before replacing it. Hovering nearby, Mr. Fa Sol La Si hummed as it disposed of the broken violin string, and as Mint Choco began to tune his violin again, he was alerted to the sounds of footsteps behind him.

He didn't look behind him. "The auditorium is reserved for the day."

"Only up to noon, you toothpaste-haired waffle." Rockstar moved into his view, and promptly took a seat on the edge of the stage, putting his guitar case on the stage behind him. Quietly, he opened his guitar case to produce his guitar, and, placing it on his lap, he gave it a practice strum.

Mint Choco scowled. "Must you always be so insufferable?"

"Must you always be such a stuck-up prick?" Rockstar parroted mockingly before giving the guitar another test strum. He twisted a few knobs on the guitar before strumming again, and he soon hummed in approval when he found that it was tuned perfectly at last. "There we go. Nice and tuned again, baby."

The mint haired man bristled, and turned away from him, opting to return to fixing his violin. Mr. Fa Sol La Si went to greet Spotlight Fan as the two music rivals set to work on their own respective instruments, with Mint Choco tuning his violin, and Rockstar strumming a short, but sweet ballad.

"Why are you here, Rockstar?" Mint Choco asked as he stood up, dusting himself off as he placed his violin on his shoulder again. "Like I said, the auditorium is reserved for the day. You really shouldn't be here - I told them not to let anyone else in here until I left."

Rockstar, to his credit, opened one gray eye and looked at Mint Choco. "And I know you're only allowed in here until noon, because I reserved this place for Wednesday afternoon practices on my own. Didn't you know?"

"I..." He didn't, actually. He was usually very busy on Wednesdays, and today had been his first break from running around doing errands on a Wednesday. With an embarrassed flush, he muttered that he didn't know, before saying, "Well. At the moment, it's  _my_ practice time, and you're five hours early. So would you stop playing for a while?"

"And listen to you playing that racket?" Rockstar rolled his eyes.

Mint Choco openly fumed. "I could say the same about you and your guitar."

"Don't diss my guitar. She's my baby." Rockstar swung a leg up on the stage again to look at Mint Choco sideways, his eyes narrowed at him. "Fine, I'll stay quiet, but you'd better show me that your violin playing isn't total shit, like your face."

_Of all the- what an ass!_ Mint Choco nearly exploded on the spot, but took deep breaths instead, remembering Cinnamon, his boyfriend.  _Cinnamon... Cinnamon... yeah. Yeah, I'm good. I'm... I'm good._ With a deep sigh, he put the bow on his violin, and began to play his usual melody. People usually heard this one whenever he did a short run, and it was a familiar tune, one that allowed him to disappear from the current plane of existence for a while, and just relax, and get lost in his music.  _Give yourself away to the irresistible melody..._

As Mint Choco played, Rockstar noted the stress lines that seemed to fade away from his face as his bitter enemy and rival allowed himself to be bathed in the melodies that he produced. With an almost impressed smirk, he put down his guitar momentarily, and allowed himself to listen, briefly closing his eyes, and taking in the melodies that seemed to blossom into coin flowers - and normally, they would, but since this wasn't a run, it was just normal music. They didn't have to worry about an excess of coins suddenly raining down on them. It was probably for the best, anyway - Rockstar knew firsthand how painful it was to be pelted by coins, thanks to some of his more rowdy fans. Thank god for Spotlight Fan shining its line into their faces to help him get away. By his side, Mr. Fa Sol Si rattled its keys, providing musical accompaniment, and Spotlight Fan chose that moment to shine upon Mint Choco, smiling happily.

_Traitor,_ Rockstar thought, but it wasn't malicious, at least, for now. It  _was_ Mint Choco's time right now, and he was technically very, very early. He could concede to that.

Mint Choco slowly began to sway in time with the music, getting swept up in the melody, and eventually beginning to walk around the stage. Rockstar watched with mild amusement as the other seemed to dance with his own music, but just then, the music seemed to... change, somewhat. The change was subtle at first, and he hadn't picked up on it immediately, but the furrow of Mint Choco's brow was enough to tip him off to the sudden change in mood in the music. Suddenly, Mint Choco was looking conflicted as he played, the music becoming unnecessarily dangerous sounding. There was a tone of danger, of fraught, as Mint Choco played, and Rockstar wouldn't admit it, but he was getting a little bit concerned as sweat beaded the sides of Mint Choco's face, his bow moving faster and faster across the strings, until-

**_TWUNG._ **

His bowstrings broke.

It took a while for Mint Choco to process it, but the moment he did, he blinked slowly, as though waking up from a trance. His mint green eyes slowly rose from the floor to his broken bowstrings, and finally, to the mildly concerned gray eyes of his rival, before asking defensively, "What are  _you_ looking at?"

"You okay there, toothpaste?" Rockstar asked, a frown on his face. "Not that I care, but a rivalry isn't a rivalry without a rival, you know."

Mint Choco rolled his eyes. "Why should I answer you?"

"Look- your bowstrings broke. Might as well answer my question while you're fixing it, right?" Rockstar crossed his arms. "What happened just then? It was all so calm at first, and then it's like... like... BAM. Sudden intensity. And not even your usual intensity, like that weirdo Virus composition you talked about before." He raised an eyebrow. "I'll ask you again. What the fuck happened to you?"

Silence.

Mint Choco looked like he didn't want to answer at all, but Rockstar  _was_ right - his bowstrings were broken, and he could talk to him while he was fixing them. He could choose not to talk, but knowing his enemy, he'd talk his ear off bothering him, so instead, he chose to sit down a little far away from Rockstar, but not far away enough that he couldn't hear his reply. "I was just... thinking."

"Must have been some thinking. Miracle you're even thinking at all."

"Would you shut up and listen for once, you blundering baboon?!" Mint Choco snapped before sighing. "It was just... I was thinking. Of my sibling."

Now this was interesting. Rockstar raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

"... The eldest."

"White Choco?"

"No..." And here, Mint Choco looked... almost resentful? "My... my brother, Dark Choco."

_Whoa._ Now there was a name he hadn't heard in a while, even from sweet little Pink Choco. "I haven't heard from them in years. Have you guys been hiding them all this time?"

"No... he hasn't come home, yet." Mint Choco's fingers went to grab the new bowstrings from his violin case. "They went out on an adventure, one day, with White Choco. Pink and I were at Blackberry's place, hanging out with her and Cinnamon, years ago, when they'd set out. But..." At this point, his fingers tightened around the roll of string. "Only White came home that day, covered in wounds, one of her eyes fucked up by a long gash running down her face."

-=-

_"Um... Blackberry?"_

_A much younger Blackberry looked towards Mint Choco, an eyebrow raised. "Yes? What is it, Mint?"_

_"Uh... Ghost Butler looks like he wants something." Pointing to the mustachioed ghost, Mint Choco watched as Blackberry turned to face him, and began to talk to him in a strange, forgotten language that only the ghosts, herself, and Cinnamon could understand. He was still clueless as to how the ghost could possibly be a pet and a father figure to the ethereal maid and not to Cinnamon, but he supposed he didn't have much room to talk, seeing as that the only family he'd ever known were his little sister Pink, his older sister White, and his older brother Dark. Oh, and great uncle Buttercream Choco and his sort of cousin Cheesecake, but White always said never to talk about the old man, and only to talk to Cheesecake._

_As she talked to the ghost, Mint Choco watched as her face went from surprised, to horrified, to pale in the span of a few seconds, before she rushed out of the room, Adventurer yelling in confusion before running after her. Pink Choco looked up at him, and asked, "What's wrong, Minty?"_

_"I don't know, Pink," Mint Choco answered. "But it looked pretty serious, if she looked THAT surprised."_

_The two Choco siblings in the room waited semi-patiently for Blackberry and Adventurer to return, their curiosity peaking as to what could have possibly caused the change in character of their normally deadpan friend. When she did come back, however, their faces both morphed into looks of horror, seeing who was with her._

_"WHITE!" They both yelled, rushing for their older sister, only to have Adventurer blocking their path, arms outstretched. Mint Choco tried to shove him aside. "Move aside, Addie- that's our sister!"_

_"Whoa there, Minty - ain't gonna do anybody any good if ya go to your sister righ'now." Adventurer looked apologetic. "Let Blackberry and the ghosts fix her up a li'l better first."_

_"But she's-!"_

_"She was bleeding!" Pink Choco wailed. ""Minty, did you see- did you see her eye?!"_

_"She's gon' be alrigh', Pinky, just calm down!" Adventurer reassured, placing his hands on both Pink and Mint's shoulders. "Both of you, calm down. Blackberry's one o' the best there is for the next five miles. Just wait, and don't lose your heads."_

_And wait they did, for the next five hours, in the living room. Pink Choco tossed and turned on the sofa, thudding her arms and legs impatiently on the sofa, while Mint Choco just laid down on his back on the loveseat, clawing at his face nervously. Pink Candy and Mr. Fa Sol La Si chased Cinnamon Bunny around the carpet, oblivious to the tension, until finally, the doors to the living room opened, and the two Choco siblings fell off their respective seats, landing on the ground with an 'oof'. When they looked up, they found Blackberry, wiping her hands clean, and their older sister, all bandaged up, but looking much better. Half of her face was bandaged up, including her right eye - something that made Pink Choco burst into tears._

_"It's going to be alright, Pink." White Choco reassured, reaching out with a hand to pat her sister's cheek. "I'm gonna be okay."_

_"But your eye!" Pink Choco sobbed._

_White Choco chuckled softly. "It's going to be alright. Blackberry and Ghost Butler did their best to save it. I'm going to be able to see still, but I'm also going to have quite the scar running down my eye from now on. Quite the battle scar, no?" She laughed, but no one else did._

_"White...?" Mint looked up at her._

_"Yes?"_

_"... Where's Dark Choco?"_

_"..." White Choco didn't answer. Mint Choco's heart stopped._

-=-

"It would be hours before she told us all what happened," Mint Choco said softly, checking his bowstrings. "And by that point, it was too late. A strange dark thunderstorm had separated the two of them on their mountain path, breaking apart the road. Dark Choco had promised her they'd meet at the peak, but by the time she'd made it to the peak..." His breath stopped for a bit before he sighed deeply. "There was nothing there. She'd waited two hours for Dark Choco to reach the peak, but it didn't look like Dark Choco was coming any time soon, so she'd gone down the other way - the more treacherous way that Dark Choco had gone up the mountain. They hadn't gone there initially because of its dangerous environment, but thanks to that storm, Dark Choco hadn't a choice."

Rockstar's fingers found its way to his chest as Mint Choco continued. "When White had gone down that way, she didn't find Dark Choco either, so she assumed he'd gone down the mountain, but before she made it to the bottom, something had... attacked her. It fucked her up, and slashed her eye. She was about to die... but then... it was like something had made it stop. Thanks to the blood, she didn't see what it was that had attacked her clearly, but she did see it... struggling. A blade was by her throat, ready to kill her... but it didn't. Whoever was wielding that sword... they had spared her, because by the time she had opened her eyes again, the person had retreated, leaving her to drag herself over to Blackberry's house, sending Pocket Watch Referee ahead to call Blackberry's attention."

"That's... that's rough." Rockstar offered weakly.

"I don't blame you for being speechless." Mint Choco sighed, letting go of his bow. "It's just... when we took her to Moonlight, a few days later, to assess her memories and guess who it was, Moonlight's magic had shown a silhouette that looked like..." Mint Choco's voice had dropped into a whisper, but in the silence of the auditorium, Rockstar heard him loud and clear. "... Dark Choco."

"Your older brother? But..." Rockstar forced himself to remember how the older cookie had been in their younger years. Quiet and brooding, but ultimately very protective of their siblings, Dark Choco, the senior, was built like a quarterback, but resided in the school's chorale with Carol, Rockstar, and Princess, providing the much needed bass tones the choral sorely lacked. Senior sister White Choco ruled the fencing team - and the hearts of many a cookie - , while junior Mint Choco was part of the violinists of the school. Sophomore Pink Choco had been part of the marching band with Macaron at first, but had soon transferred over to Computer Club with Hero. "... We may have been enemies since we were kids, but I know for a fact Dark Choco would never-"

"That's what we said!" Mint Choco exclaimed. "But there was no mistaking the silhouette that Moonlight's magic had shown us, crafted from White's memories. Even White had protested..." He looked somberly down at his bow. "Either way... we never saw him again after that. It's been... how many years? I don't know. About as long as I've been a professional musician. White's taken it upon herself to protect the siblings she has left, and thrown herself into her training... Pink... I don't think she even remembers him as well as we do."

Rockstar raised an eyebrow. "She's only a year younger than you."

"She forgets more often now."

"I repeat. She's only a year younger than you."

"And she's also been through more than I've ever been. Imagine having your little sister turned into a cyborg by her old schoolmate because of an accident that could've been prevented. Imagine your little sister losing memories of at least half of her life, with the little she could remember being saved into a memory drive Hero had cobbled together just in time before she'd lost them too." Mint Choco scowled, clenching his fist. "Imagine being a guy with a missing older brother, an older sister who's always gone now because she has to protect the little family she has left, and a little sister who's part cyborg now and no longer a full cookie. Imagine that."

_Pinky? Sweet, little Pinky?_ Rockstar had had a crush on Pink once - Mint Choco had thrown him into the nearest lunch table when he'd presented her flowers for Valentine's Day that day. When the crush had faded away, however, he'd still felt an attachment to her, despite the fact that he was enemies with her big brother. That was, perhaps, one of the few things he had in common with Mint - they'd both die for Pink Choco any day. "... What happened to her?"

"Who, Pink?" Mint Choco looked bitter. "Her gun clogged up. The Heart Beam exploded in her face, and she fell right into the path of a speeding car." Pause. "I'm sure you can guess the rest."

Rockstar recoiled. "Oh,  _fuck_."

"Yeah,  _oh **fuck**_." Mint Choco put his bow atop his violin case and drew his knees up to his chin, wrapping his arms around his legs. "Imagine that. A half-robot little sister, quite possibly a broken big sister, and a missing in action big brother. It's a hard-knock life." He buried his face into his knees. "I just... I haven't... seen Dark Choco in years. Either something had happened, or they'd abandoned us. Abandoned their sisters, and abandoned me." He sighed. "The music I was playing earlier... I was just... I guess you could say I was venting, in a way. Venting about the brother I haven't seen in years."

"I don't even know if I want to see them anymore." Mint Choco lamented. "They left us to fend for ourselves for years. They weren't around for Pink when she was turned into a cyborg. They weren't around for my recitals, and White's fencing matches. And for all we know, it really was Dark Choco who'd attacked White and not some other bastard in the mountainous area." The musician just sighed bitterly. "I just... I don't know what to feel anymore. Should I miss a brother who'd left lasting scars on my big sister? Should I miss a brother who'd wanted to become a hero, but ended up going missing instead? Should I mourn them, if they're actually dead right now?" He let his legs drop, and his head hang low. "... I just... don't...  _know_ anymore."

Silence. 

"I haven't seen my brother in years either, you know."

Mint Choco looked up as Rockstar began tuning his guitar, fiddling with the knobs. His face was mostly neutral, save for the storminess in his gray eyes that he couldn't hide - not even from his bitter enemy. "... Your brother?"

"I figured you would have remembered him, but apparently not." Rockstar scoffed weakly, but it was halfhearted as he traced the white stripes of his guitar quietly. "Grade school to high school. You played musical accompaniment whenever he danced his recitals."

Beat.

Mint Choco's heart lurched. " _Whipped Cream?!_ "

"Ding ding ding, give the man a prize." Rockstar said sarcastically.

"But you- you look  _nothing_ alike!" Mint Choco sputtered, but even as he said so, he was taking a closer look at Rockstar, and, much to his dismay, he found similarities he had missed, despite having known both Whipped Cream and Rockstar since their schoolboy days. _How have I missed them?_

Where Whipped Cream's curls were perfectly coiffed, Rockstar's was more blunt and messy, to the point that they weren't recognizable as actual curls, and more like unkempt hair. Their eyes were similar, despite Rockstar's being a stormy gray and Whipped Cream's being a sweet rosy pink, and as Mint looked back to his hair, he found something he'd failed to notice earlier - the odd, very thin streaks of rosy pink, inside of Rockstar's hair, as he shifted his position to face Mint Choco head on. They were very well hidden, and even if they hadn't, only someone who had been looking closely would have noticed.

And Mint Choco had noticed.

"Checking me out? I don't blame you."

Mint Choco immediately recoiled and bounced back on his rear about five times to get as far away as possible from the smirking Rockstar. "In your  _dreams,_ Rocksquat."

"What the- you forget about my brother, but you don't forget about  _that?!_ " Rockstar huffed in irritation. "You, my most hated enemy, are absolutely  _horrible._ " Mint Choco stuck out his tongue childishly in response, tugging on an eyelid with a finger. Rockstar rolled his eyes. " _Very_ mature of you."

Mint Choco only scoffed. "As if you have room to speak for yourself."

Silence.

"... Rocksquat?"

"Don't call me that."

"Rockstar." Here, Mint Choco's face grew serious as he looked up at Rockstar. The rocker had looked away, and was now irritatingly focused on the single dusty chair in the auditorium near the front. "... What do you mean, you haven't seen your brother in years?"

For once, Rockstar had fallen completely silent, and didn't answer at first, instead opting to tune his guitar again. This went on for a few minutes, with Spotlight Fan and Mr. Fa Sol La Si just snoozing on the stage in the background, until finally, Rockstar's mouth opened in reply. "He was cursed."

"..." Mint Choco's heart stopped. "... Cursed?"

Rockstar's gaze was conflicted. "Yeah. Cursed."

"But... how? And... when in his life-"

"Not long after we went off to pursue our dreams." By this point, Rockstar had begun to strum quietly, the notes ringing in the air. He played a single mournful note before continuing. "I believe you know this part. We're music rivals, and we dominated our respective industries soon after we found our calling. You, in the classical regions, and me, in the rock regions."  _Strum._ "Whipped Cream, on his end, went to pursue his dream of becoming a world-known ballet dancer, and he succeeded. There were times where he even collaborated with-"

"- Skating Queen," Mint Choco finished, remembering very faintly an invite from his good friend that he had to turn down because he'd promised to perform somewhere else.  _She'd mentioned she'd be performing with an old friend... can't believe it was Whipped Cream, but..._ A small, wistful smile crossed his face.  _They always did find common ground on the elegance of dance, whether on ice or not._ "He was to dance a _pas de deux_ on ice with Skating Queen, around two or three years ago."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Rockstar's face. "Ah. So you do know. Well, after that point... he'd received an invite to perform at someone's home, for a party, as a guest dancer. I was at home in our shared flat when he'd burst in..."

-=-

_Burst in was an understatement, really - Whipped Cream had practically crashed through the door._

_Rosette immediately barreled into its little pet canopy bed, cowering, while Spotlight Fan, in its panic, began flashing its light repeatedly at the ceiling. Rockstar reached over to pet the nervous spotlight before turning to the doorway, an eyebrow raised. "And here I thought I was the brash sibling."_

_"Oh, boo to you, Rocky, but look!" Whipped Cream practically threw himself over the couch to land face first into the seat, and with a laugh, Rockstar pulled him down and righted him until the ballerino was sitting upright next to him._

_In his hands was a strange looking envelope - black as the night, Rockstar would have mistaken it for one of Blackberry's invitations, had the seal on the front not been very different. Dark red wax, though it didn't look like wax - if anything, it resembled gems - in the shape of pomegranate seeds. Something about the envelope made Rockstar wary, but Whipped Cream's excitement tempered any of his reservations about it for the moment as he asked in amusement, "What's that, Whip?"_

_"An invitation to perform at a party! Can you believe it?" Whipped Cream beamed so earnestly that Rockstar didn't have the heart to tell him that it was giving him bad vibes, initially. "I've only ever performed recitals and with Skating Queen... isn't it exciting?"_

_Rockstar laughed. "Sure, but you still haven't told me who's hosting the party, you know. I'd want to know who just made my brother smile like the morning sun."_

_"Save those lines for the person you like, Rocky. And with my luck, you'll end up reusing them on the next person you like, a week later."_

_Rockstar pouted. "Am I that predictable?"_

_"You claimed Cocoa was adorable a week after you proclaimed Lemon was adorable to me. Both at 3AM." Whipped Cream rolled his eyes. "Also, I'm your twinsie. I'd like to think I know how you work." With a smile, he flipped the envelope open again, and pulled out the invitation itself._

_Rockstar recoiled at the invitation's primary scent - primarily pomegranate, but there was an incredibly sour aftertaste to it had you been unfortunate enough to have your mouth open while smelling it. And Rockstar had been unfortunate enough. With a disgusted face, he rubbed at his face ruefully. "Who scents their invitations with pomegranates? And for that matter, it tastes HORRIBLE."_

_"It's odd, isn't it?" Whipped Cream paused, considering it, before shrugging. "But who are we to judge their taste in scents, anyway? We both prefer rosier smells - even if you do look like something Cheese Cat dragged in." At Rockstar's pout, he laughed before reading out loud the invitation to him. "'To the delectably enchanting Whipped Cream-'"_

_Rockstar raised an eyebrow. "Delectably enchanting?"_

_"That's what it says!" Whipped Cream argued before continuing. "'To the delectably enchanting Whipped Cream, we would like to request your presence at the Pomegranate Promenade on the 13th of the fourth month, at 11 o'clock p.m., as our special guest, where you will be asked to perform an array of your most famous routines for the small audience before the real party begins.' Sounds easy enough. 'In addition, after the performance, you are free to enjoy the party as you wish, and you will be paid handsomely for gifting us much of your precious time. Yours truly, D.E.'"_

_That should have been his first warning. "D.E.?"_

_"Don't worry, I'm reading the fine print..." Whipped Cream scanned the bottom of the invitation, and smiled. "There we go! 'P.S. Sorry for signing off that way, it's a habit. Yours truly, Deviled Egg Cookie.' Huh. Never heard of a Deviled Egg Cookie."_

_Rockstar sniffed. "They must taste bad."_

_"Some people like deviled eggs!" Whipped Cream laughed as Rosette tumbled out of its bed and under his arm. He pet it absently before musing, "The Pomegranate Promenade... you think they'll let me bring guests?"_

_His brother only raised an eyebrow. "You planning on bringing me?"_

_"Of course, you silly!" Whipped Cream then threw his arms around his brother's torso, squeezing him to him. "You're my brother! I always bring you to my performances! Surely they won't mind if you're there, right? They did ask for MY precious time and all."_

_Rockstar gaped before smirking at his twin, reaching over to give him a noogie."You sly fox, you're abusing their own words."_

_"I learned from the best, darling." Whipped Cream batted him away, and soon, the two brothers were laughing, draped over each other on the couch. "Anyway, it's in five days. You wanna come?"_

_With an apologetic shake of the head, Rockstar explained, "Can't, Whip. Promised Macaron I'd be assisting in her parade that day, and she said it'd last until like, 9. I'll be too exhausted to attend any party, no matter how cool it is." At Whipped Cream's stare, he flushed a rosy pink, looking away as he tried to hide his face. "W-what? I made this promise like, a week ago! I can't back out now!"_

_"Millenial Tree... I know what's going on here..."_

_"What?!"_

_"You want... to marry her..." Whipped Cream said in a serious, deadpan tone. "And have... all the babies."_

_"WHIPPED CREAM!"_

_The ballerino cackled as his brother pelted him with sofa cushions._

-=-

"That was the last time we'd ever really _talked_ , as brothers should," Rockstar said softly, strumming almost morosely. "He had so many appointments as a guest dancer and so many recitals, it was hard to talk to him like we did that day. We were always so busy, that whenever the other came home, the other was already asleep. We saw each other in the mornings, sure, but never long enough."

Mint Choco's brow furrowed with concern, and, much to his consternation, the faintest stirrings of sympathy rumbled in his chest. He metaphorically slapped those feelings in the face and pushed it down as Rockstar continued, beginning a lonely ballad. "When the day finally came that he was gonna go to that party... he woke me up to let me know that he'd be going, because it was pretty late at night, that promenade thing."

-=-

_"Brother... brother..."_

_"Five more minutes... huh?" Rockstar blinked open his eyes blearily, and in the darkness, made out the shape of a curly haired cookie. "... Whip?"_

_"Yeah. It's me." Whipped Cream moved his hand to Rockstar's, just to reassure his twin that it really was him. "I'm heading out now, okay?"_

_"Wait- wait-" Rockstar forced himself to wake up as he sat up in bed, yawning. "Where were you- you're going out?" He glanced at the clock in their room. "But it's like, 10."_

_"Remember the invitation?" Whipped Cream waved the black invite again near his face, and yet again, his brother recoiled at the sour pomegranate scent. He hated it. He didn't know why, but he did. It made him uneasy. "It's tonight, remember? I'm setting out an hour early so I won't be late, and perhaps meet with Deviled Egg?"_

_Rockstar rubbed at his eyes. "Oh... did you want me to drive you there?"_

_"No, I just..." Whipped Cream, despite the darkness, radiated an aura of pensiveness that Rockstar picked up on. Quietly, he held his brother's hand as Whipped Cream murmured, "I don't know. I just wanted to let you know I was going now, so you don't wake up in the middle of the night calling for someone who wasn't there, you know?"_

_Rockstar gave him a soft smile. "Thoughtful."_

_"Aren't I?" Whipped Cream laughed quietly before pressing his forehead to his brother's. "You can go back to sleep now, okay? Good night, Rocky."_

_"Good night, Whip..." Rockstar couldn't shake the strange feeling in his gut as he watched his brother head for the open doorway, his silhouette striking against the light outside their room. He watched as Whipped Cream turned to look at him again, and waved a little, and in response, he waved back as well, before Whipped Cream exited, shutting the door behind him._

_**Why...** Rockstar's brow furrowed.  **Why do I feel... as though I'm never going to see him again?**  
_

-=-

"And I never did."

The ending notes of his ballad faded away into the empty space of the auditorium, and for a few moments, all was silent between the two musicians. Rockstar only stared off into the darkness of the auditorium, the guitar still in his hands, as he spoke, saying, "I never did... see my brother again. Not really."

"Not really?" Mint Choco drew a knee up to his chest, leaning an arm atop it as he looked towards Rockstar, his other hand flat on the stage behind him for support.

Silence.

And then, oddly enough, Rockstar reached for inside his shirt. Mint Choco was ready to bolt in case the other took off his shirt, but instead, he took out the oddest little trinket, hanging from a chain around his neck. Mint Choco found it disturbingly familiar for some reason - until it hit him. He'd seen that chain - glimpsed it before, once, during a food fight at Blackberry's house a Christmas or so ago (that Rockstar had started, mind you - though he wouldn't deny provoking him).

"I know that thing." Mint Choco voiced out loud. At Rockstar's odd look, he corrected himself. "I mean- I've seen the chain, at least. At Blackberry's house. The food fight?"

Rockstar gave a halfhearted scoff. "Right. The one I started because you provoked me by making vague comments about me from across the table."

"Well. You deserved it. But either way - I've seen the chain, at least, but not that." The mint-haired musician pointed to the tiny rose shaped pendant, the same shade as the streaks of pink in his hair, and oddly enough, it reminded him of... "Rosette, right? That was Whipped Cream's pet. That looks like Rosette."

" _Is_ Whipped Cream's pet," Rockstar said defensively. "Rosette still lives with me."

"... And Whipped Cream? You said you never saw him again, not really. What did you mean?"

Rockstar faltered for a bit, before taking the pendant into his hand, and placing the rose squarely in the center of his palm. He closed his eyes, and, much to Mint Choco's surprise, from the pink rose pendant, bright pink light bloomed, emerging from the center and forming an egg shape, before blooming and revealing something entirely new. An egg-shaped object of the purest white - at least, that was what he thought initially, until it was revealed to him that the whites had been wings, unfolding to reveal that the egg itself was light pink, and decorated with small rosettes and white and golden beads. It rested atop a golden upturned rose, and from that golden stand, the white wings that had hidden the egg away from view were outstretched, like a bird about to take flight.

Something about the egg made Mint Choco's heart ache.

"I never did see my brother again... because..." Even though he tried to hide it, Rockstar's lower lip quivered ever so slightly as he reached behind the egg shaped object, and turned a little turnkey. After a few turns, he stopped, and just then, a quiet, music box melody rang through the air. Mint Choco watched, mesmerized, as the egg - the music box - slowly opened, revealing itself to be hollow inside. As it opened, Mint Choco saw soft blue velvet filling the bottom half, mimicking water, and atop those were two small pink swans - most likely plastic.

But the most important thing was in the center of the music box, and when Mint Choco saw what it was, his heart stopped.

At the center of the music box, there was a small figure, cookie shaped, dancing atop the 'water'. The figure had a serene smile on its face as it danced with the music that wafted from within the music box it resided in, but that wasn't what made Mint Choco's heart stop. Rather, it was because the figure looked  _exactly_ like the cookie he'd forgotten about - they matched, bit for bit, the cookie he and Rockstar had been talking about for the past few minutes, from the white, pink-streaked curls, to the sweet rosy pink eyes, and to the gentle smile that could possibly outshine the morning sun.

Whipped Cream.

As the music slowed to a stop, so did Whipped Cream, and when the music finally stopped, Whipped Cream seemed to glance up at Rockstar, and smile at him, before closing his eyes, the top of the music box moving in to hide him away from view again. With the performance finished, the wings went to fold themselves back in on the egg again, and the music box glowed once more, bursting into petals of the purest light, leaving behind only the rose pendant from before.

As Rockstar's fingers closed over the pendant, Mint Choco found his gaze trailing up to Rockstar's face, and found that his rival was crying quietly, his face in painful turmoil. Stormy gray eyes were even stormier, filled with anger and grief, but Mint Choco could only really focus on his grief, which choked the air around them as Rockstar clutched the pendant close to his chest, hanging his head. The salty tears that fell from his eyes hit the strings of his guitar nearly one by one as he whispered, "I never saw my brother again... because the next thing I knew, I received this pendant in the mail, along with another envelope, also smelling of sour pomegranates, and with the same wax seal. I was suspicious, yes, and read the letter first, but the only thing on it..."

-=-

_Rockstar Cookie._

_I hope you enjoy my little 'present'. Your brother helped me make it._

_D. E._

-=-

"... and when you held it..." Mint Choco felt mute horror dawn upon him. "Oh my god."

Rockstar bit his lower lip. "Deviled Egg - they didn't really exist. Moonlight showed up at my doorstep that night with Wizard and Cream Puff, claiming to have felt a dark energy near me, and when I'd shown them the pendant, she had immediately recoiled. She explained that the magic could have belonged only to one cookie - Dark Enchantress Cookie, one of the most evil cookies in the entire kingdom, and that if I had put on the pendant as it was earlier, I would have been cursed too, just like... just like..." Rockstar's shoulders shook, and for the briefest of moments, Mint Choco was very surprised to see his greatest enemy so vulnerable at that moment. But he let it slide. Now was not the time to point it out, after all.  _He must have been keeping this to himself for quite a while now..._ "... Either way, the three of them had dispelled the curse that had been placed on the pendant, but they couldn't break the curse on my brother. This thing is safe for me to wear now, but..."

"... Your brother is still trapped in there..."

"I just... what did he ever do to her?" Rockstar tucked the pendant back in his shirt. "What did my brother ever do to that damned Dark Enchantress? Why did she curse him like this? Will I ever break it? Will I ever see my brother again?"

Rockstar's tears flowed faster now as he slammed his fist on the stage, on the verge of a tearful tantrum. "Why?! What the fuck did he ever do?! My brother was one of the nicest cookies in the goddamn world - he'd never hurt anybody! Why?! Is she that much of a fucking demoness?!" And suddenly, Mint Choco found Rockstar's hands on his shoulders, shaking him frantically. "Tell me, Mint Choco! Why?! Why did she do it?!"

"I don't- I don't know, Rockstar, let me go, damn it!" Mint Choco slapped him, and, as if realizing what he was doing, Rockstar stopped, falling back on his heels, his hands still on Mint Choco's shoulders. Slowly, he let them fall away, and for a few minutes, there was only silence between the two musicians, broken only by the sounds of their sleeping pets. It was only when a bell outside of the auditorium rang, signaling that it had just hit 12 noon, that Rockstar began to move again.

Placing his guitar in its case, he quietly nudged Spotlight Fan awake, and the moment the little spotlight woke up, he gestured for it to rest on his shoulder, which it did willingly before going back to sleep. Mint Choco only watched as he headed for the exit, but right when his hand was on the doorknob, he found his voice, saying, "H-hey!"

"..." Rockstar stopped. He didn't look back at him.

"... Weren't you... going to practice?" Mint Choco asked, packing up his things as well. He played a note on Mr. Fa Sol La Si's body, waking it up, before continuing. "You said you were renting this whole place for the afternoon-"

"I'm not in the mood anymore." Rockstar said quietly. "You can practice all day now. Don't worry about me." He turned back to the door, and opened it. "... And don't ever think this changes anything between us, got that, toothpaste? We're still enemies, and we're still rivals." He shut the door behind him, leaving Mint Choco and Mr. Fa Sol La Si by themselves in the empty auditorium.

Mint Choco's face took on a frustrated look, but otherwise, he began packing up as well. At Mr. Fa Sol La Si's questioning note, he only sighed. "... We're going home, Mr. Fa Sol La Si."

"?" Rang one long note - a 'la'.

"... I don't feel like practicing anymore either." Mint Choco explained, zipping the violin case shut before slinging it over his shoulder. With that now secure, he exited the same way Rockstar had gone as well, leaving nary a trace.

**_And don't ever think this changes anything between us, got that, toothpaste?_ **

But it already had.

Mint Choco had gotten a look into the vulnerable side of his worst enemy, and he into his vulnerable side - and he didn't know what to do about it.


End file.
